In her dream, Lucy was surrounded by her family, but instead of having gaps missing, like a father and a slew of siblings, many people she couldn't identify invaded her mind. One man stood out. Stepping forward, the stranger wore a brown top hat, and a matching suit to boot. Lucy recognized him from the papers. This man was Hershel Layton, the Prof's father. Holding out a hand, Professor Layton lead Lucy through the crowd of family to a small tea party. She opened her mouth in thanks, but no words came out. Dazed, Lucy sat down onto a chair made of the wisps of her dream.
Slowly, a relative of Lucy's who had died came to join the tea party. First, a great-aunt who had passed on long before Lucy's memories were made came and rustled the hair on her head. She took her seat on the right of Layton. Lucy's grandfather, on her mother's side, came over to give her a thousand watt smile, which was the only memory of him Lucy had. Each relative would come by, alternating positions on the sides of the table. The whole thing seriously frightened Lucy, but she could find a way to wake up. Finally, there were two spots left.
In her dream, Lucy wanted so badly for them to be real. Her father and uncle, brothers united, walked into the party. Standing on opposite sides of her chair, she hugged her uncle first, who whispered in her ear.
"Luce, my darling. I know you will make the right decision." With that he sat down. Turning to her father, tears were already streaming down her face like rivers. Tackling him, Lucy buried her face into his jacket. This time, she found a voice.
"I miss you so much, Daddy," she sobbed into his shoulder. Propping her upright, her father looked her in the eyes, which held so many similarities to hers.
"I know you do, Pumpkin. That's why God graced you with a blessing. Hold on to him forever, Pumpkin. He'll be there for you when I can't." Sitting down, her father completed the tea party the Prof's father had set up. Her whole family looked up to her with hopeful eyes.
"We believe in you, Lucy. Go make us proud." With a sudden jolt, Lucy fell through the clouds and woke with a start.
"Ahg!" Lucy sat up with extreme speed, putting her hand over her heart in true fear. What had started of as a seemingly good dream had quickly turned into an alarming nightmare. Alfendi's eyes widened, and he pulled over immediately. With Lucy still panting, he unbuckled her seat belt and pulled her closer to him.
"Lucy? Oh, Lucy, don't be scarred, I'm right here beside you," both Profs said, in a weird, melded voice. Shocked, Lucy looked up at Alfendi. Much to his surprise, Lucy hadn't been crying, but rather shaking like a leaf. Her crimson eyes were wide open, as she stared at him in relief.
"Your real, aren't you?" she whispered.
"Of, course, Lucy. I'm here," a worried Al replied. "Tell me what happened." It wasn't a question. Her voice shaky, Lucy retold her dream, leaving out the spoken parts, even though that was the worst part. The Prof seemed genuinely mortified when she mentioned that his father was the ringleader of her nightmare. Awhile after she had stopped talking, Lucy sat up, and laced her fingers together with Alfendi's.
"You can drive with one 'and, you know," she stated. From that point on, Potty Prof was in control, keeping one hand on the wheel, and one hand with Lucy, his reassuring grip never wavering until they got to their destination, seven hours later.
That night at twilight, on the horizon, a quaint cottage home was brightly illuminated against the sky. Lucy, breaking the silence that had been so reassuring, squealed in delight.
"Eee! We made it, Prof! there it tis!" Lucy shouted with glee. Alfendi shot a glance over to the girl. A glow had slowly returned to her face after the nightmare, giving her face a soft beauty that he loved. All of a sudden Lucy stared right at the man.
"You, under any circumstance, are not allowed ta see any baby pictures. Ya may not ask ta see any, nor ask ta 'ere any stories. I still dunno wot this is all about, so I'll be very angry if that's is wot you came for," Lucy directed. Recalling some of the embarrassing stories of her child hood, she had to warn the Prof not to make that move.
"I promise, Lucy. That isn't why were here. I just know so little about your life pre-Mystery Room. But I do need to know these stories sooner or later, you know," he teased. Her face was all different shades of blush and pink anger as Lucy turned to him. Alfendi laughed right out loud. "Kidding, Lucy. I do have a sense of humor, you know." Pulling the little black car into the long, winding driveway of Lucy's mother's home, Lucy gave him a nervous smile. Chuckling, the duo got out of the car.
Getting out first, Lucy rounded the corner and pulled the Prof into a tight hug. Putting his arms around her in turn, he wondered what all of this nervous energy was about. Pulling back slightly, his looked into those scarlet eyes of hers.
"What's all this nervousness about? Your not worried about me are you," he realized. What if he changed and blew it? "I promise I'll try and control it, Lucy."
Lucy smiled. "No, that's not it, Prof. I'm never afraid of tha'. It just…" The last part was mumbled under her breath.
"What was that?" a confused Prof asked.
"I've never really brought a boyfriend home before. Me mum wos always so over protective of me, and it was never a problem before workin' at the Yard," Lucy looked ashamed of her self, like this was a serious problem. She absent-mindedly fixed a stray purple hair that had fallen loose from behind Alfendi's ear.
"You are aware that I was the one who called ahead, and planned this thing out, correct? So, in essence, I'm bringing you home." Taking her had in his, the Placid Prof took Lucy up to the front porch, and went to knock on the door. Before either of them had a chance, a woman around the age of fifty pulled Alfendi and Lucy into a big group hug.